File – Massage establishments on San Gabriel Boulevard in San Gabriel. Governor Jerry Brown signed the Massage Therapy Reform Act into law Thursday, Sept. 18, 2014. The law aims to give cities greater control over massage businesses.

SACRAMENTO >> Governor Jerry Brown Thursday signed the Massage Therapy Reform Act into law, passing measures that aim to give local cities greater control over the establishments.

The law, authored by Assemblyman Chris Holden, D-Pasadena; Assemblyman Jimmy Gomez, D-Los Angeles; and Assemblywoman Susan Bonilla, D-Concord, was passed by the state legislature Sept. 2. Local officials praised the law as a way to more effectively monitor the businesses, which many cities said have become fronts for prostitution.

“Today marks a historic step in our fight against prostitution and human trafficking in massage businesses,” Holden said in a statement. “These bad actors hijacked the massage industry and overwhelmed smaller cities who felt their hands were tied when dealing with the proliferation of these businesses. This bill will change the landscape of the massage business by helping legitimate therapists operate while eliminating the shady characters.”

The new law also raises professional standards and changes the make-up of the board that governs the California Massage Therapy Council (CAMTC), the agency that certifies and regulates the majority of massage therapists in the state. The bill offers reforms for the original massage law, which went into effect in 2009.

San Gabriel Mayor John Harrington said in a statement he was pleased with the new law. San Gabriel has seen a massive increase in massage businesses since the original law went into effect in 2009.

“I am proud of the quality of our relationships with our state legislators, and glad that our Council actions were able to effectuate this outcome,” Harrington said. “We want to thank the authors, including our local Assembly Members Chris Holden and Ed Chau, for pushing this measure forward. And we wish to thank Senator Ed Hernandez, the League of California Cities and the American Planning Association for their support throughout this process.”

Ahmos Netale, CEO of the CAMTC, also applauded the bill’s passage.

“CAMTC will continue to work to protect the public from illicit massage businesses by certifying therapeutic massage professionals and working with local governments to ensure these new standards are met,” Netanel said in a statement. “CAMTC is proud of its successes and looks forward to continuing outstanding partnerships with law enforcement agencies, local community leaders and other stakeholders to meet the challenge of protecting the public and upholding the highest values and standards in the massage profession.”

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